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The Story of iRobot and the Roomba

iRobot is dedicated to creating realistic robotic solutions to real-world problems. Its robots are not far-flung, far-off science fiction, but robots for the real world. They are practical, reliable, innovative products that effectively answer users’ needs with creative engineering and design. In the late ’80s, the coolest robots in the world were being developed at the MIT Artificial Intelligence Lab. These robots, which were modeled on insects, captured the imagination of researchers, explorers, military, and dreamers alike. The three iRobot founders, Rod Brooks, Colin Angle, and Helen Greiner, saw this technology as the basis for a whole new class of consumer products–ones that actually make life easier and more fun. Since people were calling to ask where to buy these robots after graduation, Colin and Helen left MIT in 1990 to work full time on fulfilling this promise. Along with being the iRobot Chairman and CTO, Rod Brooks is also the Director of the MIT Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Lab, where his goal is to understand and eventually have the robots display human intelligence. Today the company is pushing full steam ahead with robots for the consumer market, lead by the Roomba robotic vacuum, and is considered one of America’s leading robotics R&D labs. This translates into a great benefit for customers: they’re guaranteed cool robotic technology in every product the company makes.

iRobot 560 Roomba Vacuuming Robot, Black and Silver

Life happens in busy homes, and keeping up with accumulating dirt, dust, pet hair, crumbs, and debris can be a daily challenge. Introducing the iRobot Roomba 560–a member of iRobot’s newest generation of Roomba Vacuuming Robots.

Now there’s a better way to maintain cleaner floors every day. With dramatically improved navigation, cleaning coverage, vacuum pickup, particle filtration, and scheduling capabilities, the Roomba 560 picks up amazing amounts of dirt and debris from your floors with the touch of a button–so you don’t have to.

The Roomba 560 even cleans on schedule when it’s most convenient for you. Use the on-board scheduling system to easily program up to seven days and times per week for Roomba to vacuum–whether you’re at home or on the go. The Roomba 560 also offers the most efficient room-to-room cleaning available using two innovative, new Virtual Wall Lighthouses.

Yes, It Really Works

This smart, powerful, and autonomous vacuum features iRobot’s proven and patented three-stage cleaning system. First, innovative spinning side brushes grab dirt and debris from corners and along wall edges, then two high-speed, counter-rotating brushes pick up pet hair, food crumbs, and other debris. The powerful vacuum sucks up the debris and deposits it into a large, easy-to-empty bagless dust bin.

The improved fine-filtration system traps dust, pollen, and other allergens inside the robot, reducing infiltration into your living environment. The cleaning head automatically adjusts to transition from wood, tile, and linoleum to carpets and rugs. Improved anti-tangle technology ensures it won’t get stuck on cords and rug fringe. If Roomba begins to pick up a cord or carpet tassel, it will automatically reverse the direction of its brushes to extract the item. Roomba senses dirtier areas and spends more time cleaning them, and it uses built-in cliff sensors to avoid stairs and other drop-offs. When the job is done, Roomba returns to its self-charging Home Base to dock and recharge between cleaning cycles or when the battery is running low.

Easy to Use

The Roomba 560 features a friendly and informative audio voice demonstration that walks you through initial setup and alerts you when Roomba requires maintenance or assistance. Starting a cleaning cycle is simple–just press the “Clean” button and Roomba does the rest. First it will calculate the size of the room, the obstacles in the room, and the cleanliness of the floors. Then it goes to work all by itself. At the end of each cleaning cycle, the Roomba 560 returns to its Home Base to dock and recharge. Yes, it’s that simple. Routine maintenance is a snap. The large-capacity bagless bin is easy to slide out, empty, and click back into place. The brushes and filters can be easily removed by hand for routine cleaning and maintenance.

Smart and Efficient

Roomba 560 calculates the appropriate cleaning time and pattern for each room and adjusts its behavior over 67 times per second to achieve the most thorough cleaning result. On average, Roomba covers every part of the floor four times! A gentle-touch bumper system senses obstacles so Roomba automatically slows its approach, gently touches the obstacle, then redirects to continue cleaning under or around the object. Because it cleans under furniture, Roomba actually vacuums more of the floor than a standard upright can–and you don’t even have to push it around. Two Virtual Wall Lighthouses ensure the most efficient room-to-room cleaning. Set each to Lighthouse mode to ensure that Roomba cleans one room in its entirely before moving on to the next. Set it to Virtual Wall mode to create an infrared beam at door openings and other off-limit areas that Roomba will not cross. The vacuum’s advanced power system consists of a fast-charging battery, a three-hour charger, and a power source that supercharges the unit for up to 120 minutes of continuous cleaning, covering about three to four average-size rooms on a single charge. When the battery is low or when Roomba has completed a cleaning cycle, it automatically returns to the self-charging Home Base to dock and recharge. As a member of the newest generation of Roomba innovations, Roomba 560 features a more powerful vacuum and redesigned high-speed, counter-rotating brushes that pick up more dirt, pet hair, dander, cat litter, crumbs, leaves, and other debris.

Features 

• A powerful vacuum: Two counter-rotating brushes and a powerful vacuum remove dirt, dust, pet hair, and other debris from your carpets and floors 
• Robot intelligence: Navigates throughout your home, cleaning under and around furniture, covering each area an average of four times 
• Avoids off-limit areas: Virtual Walls tell Roomba where to clean by restricting off-limit areas 
• Efficient room-to-room cleaning: Lighthouses ensure thorough completion of one room before vacuuming the next 
• Self-charging and docking: Automatically returns to its Home Base to dock and recharge between cleanings 
• Detects dirt: Senses dirtier areas and spends more time cleaning them 
• Cleans beneath furniture: Cleans under tables, beds, chairs, and other hard-to-reach places 
• Edge-cleaning capability: Follows wall edges and reaches deep into corners to remove dust, dirt, and debris 
• Self-adjusting cleaning head: Automatically adjusts from carpets to hard floors and back again 
• Light-touch bumpers: Roomba slowly approaches obstacles, gently touches them, then redirects to clean around them 
• Anti-tangle system: Roomba effectively extracts itself if it picks up cords, carpet fringe, or tassels 
• Simple operation: Roomba keeps itself charged and ready to go–simply press the Clean button and Roomba does the rest 
• What’s in the box: 1 iRobot Roomba 560, 2 Virtual Wall Lighthouses (each requires 2 C batteries, not included), 1 self-charging Home Base, 1 power supply (3-hour charge time), 1 brush cleaning tool, 1 rechargeable battery, 1 extra filter

Click here for more details: iRobot 560 Roomba Vacuuming Robot, Black and Silver